


Global Conflict: Kyoshi Rising

by elektroboot98



Series: Global Conflict [1]
Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Alternate History, Alternate Universe, Dogfighting, Gen, IJN, Nonbending, Some naval combat as well, World War II
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-10-20
Updated: 2016-10-20
Packaged: 2018-08-23 15:10:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,279
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8332312
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/elektroboot98/pseuds/elektroboot98
Summary: The year is 1942. For the first time in modern history, a group of Japanese women are fighting in a war directly on the battlefield. They are the Kyoshi Kōkūtai, the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service's first and only all-female fighter squadron, led by Lieutenant Suki Nakamura, a battle-hardened veteran of the Dutch East Indies campaign. Join the brave "Kyoshi Warriors" in the cockpits of their Zeros as they clash with the US Navy over the vast reaches of the Pacific.





	1. Guadalcanal

**Author's Note:**

> Originally posted on fanfiction.net under the same name. I'm currently in the process of revising this along with chapter 2, which will be posted sometime soon.

**September 15th, 1942**

**Rabaul**

**Lakunai Airfield**

Suki had gotten out of her bunk almost 30 minutes before her fellow pilots began to stir throughout the barracks. She had already finished her quick breakfast and was now applying her warrior paint. As soon as she was done, she would reread the briefing for the day's mission before heading to her fighter to perform her pre-flight checks.

* * *

Before joining the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service, her mother had taught her that a good leader always exceeds the expectations of his subordinates. Of course, neither Suki nor her mother had foreseen that she would command her own fighter group. But after graduating from training in mid–1941 at the ripe young age of 21, she qualified as a fighter pilot and, to everyone's surprise, joined the battle-hardened _Tainan Kōkūtai_ , which included many of Japan's leading aces. She flew many combat sorties over the Dutch East Indies, racking up 25 kills in just 3 months. She had already displayed remarkable leadership skills, and in February of 1942, she asked for the opportunity to form her own all-woman fighter squadron. The request was apparently taken all the way to Vice-Admiral Tsukahara, commander of all Japanese land-based naval aircraft groups, who hesitantly accepted Suki's proposal.

A month later in March, the IJNAS put out a call for Japanese women who were willing to become fighter pilots under a new undesignated fighter group. When creating the new group, Suki thought back to her childhood hero Kyoshi, the mythical female warrior of ancient Japan. She subsequently decided that the pilots would wear face paint similar to the style that Kyoshi wore: White makeup, red accents and lipstick, and black eyebrow streaks. They would also wear green uniforms, as Kyoshi supposedly wore a green armored _kimono_ in battle, and fly green-colored aircraft. Thus, the _Kyoshi Kōkūtai_ , as the new group was formally designated, was born.

Out of the many women who joined the training program, four dozen were selected to join the group. In April, once the chosen candidates had completed their basic fighter training, the group was declared ready for combat, equipped with brand-new Zero fighters, and sent to Rabaul to partake in the New Guinea Campaign.

By September, they had shot down a total of 56 American aircraft (Suki herself had claimed 23), for the loss of seven aircraft and four pilots. Not a bad record.

By now, Japan had achieved significant victories over the Allies. The New Guinea Campaign had ended in May of 1942 with the successful seizure of Port Moresby, effectively neutralizing the Allies' principal forward base in the region and providing the Japanese with a springboard for launching raids against the continent of Australia.

Midway Island fell next. With support from bombers and battleships, the IJN's amphibious forces stormed the island, taking control of its airfields and supply depots, while the carriers and aircraft of _Kido Butai_ harried the two American carriers stationed nearby, eventually sinking them both.

But the Americans had dealt Japan a major blow at Guadalcanal, where their landing forces had easily overwhelmed the poorly defended island. From there, they had a perfect vantage point for further conquest. Consequently, the Japanese sent numerous soldiers, ships, and aircraft to retake the island.

Being based out of Rabaul, Suki's squadron was often sent on escort missions, protecting the ships carrying fresh troops, tanks, and supplies to the slaughterhouse.

The Japanese seemed to be gaining ground, but the Americans were tenacious in their defense. As more and more blood was spilt, many in both Japan and the United States wondered whether they would see the light at the end of the tunnel or be forever trapped in the gruesome reality of war.

* * *

Suki finished applying her face paint and donned her green flight suit and her boots. She then fastened her katana to her waist and holstered her Nambu pistol. Before heading out to the field, she walked over to the table near her bunk and picked up a small letter that her mother had written to her. It read in Kanji:

_Thinking of you every day, my brave, beautiful daughter. Hoping you are well,_

_-Mother_

Smiling as she thought of her family back in Kyoto, Suki pocketed her letter and proceeded out the door to the airfield.

At 7:00 AM, while the rest of her comrades began waking up and preparing for the mission, Suki walked over to the revetments that kept the aircraft off the field. Because she was the group's commanding officer, her fighter was the closest to the taxiway that led to the runway.

 _Hello, my loyal steed,_ Suki thought to herself as she approached the revetment that held her airplane, a Mitsubishi A6M2 Zero.

Fast, agile, and heavily-armed, the Zero had garnered a fearsome reputation among its pilots and those who fought against it. When it had first appeared over China in August of 1940, the nimble Japanese fighter had easily outclassed the Soviet I-15s and I-16s supplied to Chang Kai-Shek's Nationalist Air Force. By the time the IJN withdrew from China several months later in preparation for Pearl Harbor, Zero pilots had shot down 266 Chinese fighters for the loss of only two of their own, both to ground fire.

Its record was no different now over the Pacific. Though the Allies had more advanced aircraft than the Chinese, none, not even the RAF's fabled Spitfire, could outmaneuver a Zero, as many British pilots had discovered over Port Moresby. In a close-quarters dogfight, the Japanese had the edge.

The Zero had turned the _Kyoshi Kōkūtai_ into one of the IJNAS's most feared fighter squadrons, also owing to the fact it was all-female, and the thought of Japanese women flying the most-feared fighter plane of the Pacific and wreaking havoc on Allied pilots was quite frightening.

In fact, the  _Kōkūtai_  had become a sensation of sorts among Allied propaganda. In the wake of the New Guinea Campaign, the BBC had referred to them as "the Valkyries of the East." Of course, the American nicknames were less flattering and somewhat less creative, ranging from "Tōjō's flying geishas" to "Jap she-devils."

Like the rest of the _Kōkūtai_ 's aircraft, Suki's Zero wore a green camouflage pattern on its body and had "Kyoshi" painted in white Kanji on its black engine cowling. In order to distinguish themselves from one another, Suki and the other girls had painted different styles of _tessen_ , the war fans that Kyoshi supposedly used in combat, on their Zeros' tails. While the others had painted one fan on their aircraft, Suki painted two on hers to distinguish herself as the group's leader.

The ground personnel were already milling about the revetments, preparing the aircraft for the day's mission. As Suki reached her Zero, she saw two men on both of its wings filling the fuel tanks. Another group loaded its twin wing-mounted 20mm cannon with high-explosive ammunition and its twin nose-mounted 7.7mm machine guns with armor-piercing rounds. The chief engineer, Warrant Officer Kenji Matsubara, was examining the Zero's Sakae radial engine when he saw Suki. He immediately shouted, "Attention!" Every single man in the revetment stopped what he was doing and looked at Suki. Except for Kenji, who jumped down from the Zero and walked up to her and saluted.

"Good morning, Suki," he said with a smile.

"Morning, Kenji," Suki replied. She had grown fond of the ground personnel. At the end of the day, it was their job to keep her and her fellow pilots flying.

"You're up early today," Kenji observed inquisitively.

"I wanted to perform some last-minute checks to my plane before the mission."

"Are you doubting my men and their capabilities?" Kenji asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Not at all. Not at all," Suki replied, chuckling, "I simply wanted to check the controls to make sure they're perfect. I hope I'm not distracting your men."

"We're almost done here. Once we're finished, you can check on her."

"Sounds good. Thanks, Kenji!"

As Kenji and the rest of his men got back to work, eleven of Suki's fellow pilots began walking towards the revetments. There was no need for a last-minute briefing. They were well aware of what the day had in store for them.

Today's mission called for the _Kyoshi Kōkūtai_ to protect a convoy of supply ships and warships ferrying troops and supplies from Rabaul to Guadalcanal. They would be traveling through "The Slot," a large body of water that ran through the middle of the Solomon Islands. The ships arrived at Guadalcanal so frequently that the Americans nicknamed them the "Tokyo Express." It was up to Suki and her pilots to protect the _Express_ from any American air threat until it reached Guadalcanal.

Thirty minutes later, once the ground personnel had completed their work, Suki and her eleven fellow pilots mounted their aircraft. In order to conserve precious aviation fuel, trucks and tractors that had been captured from the Australian forces that had originally occupied the island were used to move the fighters onto the runway.

By around 8:00 AM, the twelve Zeros sat on the runway, their Sakae engines running, awaiting their clearance to take off. As she waited for the go-ahead, Suki removed her mother's letter from her pocket and fastened it to her plane's instrument panel. Soon, the man on the watchtower shouted over a loudspeaker: **Take off.** The signalman shot a green flare into the air. Immediately, Suki pulled her flight goggles over her eyes, closed the canopy of her cockpit, lowered the flaps, and pushed the throttle forward. Her fighter began to roll down the runway, picking up speed. As soon as she reached the desired airspeed, Suki pulled back on the stick, lifting her Zero skyward. She leveled out at 1500 meters, raised the landing gear and retracted the flaps, and then circled back around the airfield as her squadron mates took off. Within 10 minutes, the Kyoshi Warriors, as the girls lovingly referred to their _Kōkūtai_ , were in the air. They turned towards the Southeast to link up with the _Tokyo Express_.

"Look alive girls," Suki radioed the other Warriors, "The way things are going at Guadalcanal, we're bound to see some action."

"Time to bag me some more Yankees!" Kyoshi Two shouted eagerly.

"Easy Takara," Suki chastised her second-in-command, Ensign Takara Hayashida.

Though Takara was a well-trained pilot, having scored eleven of the _Kōkūtai_ 's victories over New Guinea, she had a much more aggressive and instinctive plan of attack compared to Suki's more calculating and methodical approach, choosing to charge straight in, guns-blazing. Often in their past sorties, this had resulted in Takara engaging more enemy aircraft than she could handle, leaving it to Suki and the others to come to her aid.

"Sorry," Takara replied apologetically, "Got a little carried away, _again_."

"Don't worry about it," Suki responded soothingly, "Just keep your head level and you'll be fine."

With their conversation finished, they continued on towards Guadalcanal with the rest of the _Kōkūtai_.

* * *

As they approached the _Tokyo Express_ , the Kyoshi Warriors descended to 1200 meters. Suki's well-trained eyes identified the large bridge of the _Takao_ -class heavy cruiser _Chōkai_. She also spotted the five transport ships carrying fresh troops and supplies, and their escort of four _Fubuki_ -class and two _Akizuki_ -class destroyers.

Suddenly, Kyoshi Four shouted over the radio, "Bandits! Eleven o'clock low! Heading for the convoy!"

Suki leaned forward a little to get a better look as ten planes approached from the northwest. She smirked as she recognized the unclean lines of Grumman F4F Wildcats and immediately began formulating a plan of attack. Since the Kyoshi Warriors had the Sun to their back, the Americans would be unable to get a clear shot at them.

 _Perfect_.

Suki leaned on her stick, rolling to the left. As soon as her Zero was upside down, she pulled back on the stick into a slight dive, incurring positive G's. The other Warriors followed suit. As she closed the distance to the targets, Suki quickly calculated her angle of deflection, 15 degrees to lead her target, before pressing down on the trigger. Her Zero shook slightly as it emptied 7.7mm and 20mm bullets at the nearest Wildcat. She was rewarded with a burst of flame as her target caught fire and dove out of formation. Righting her fighter, Suki looked behind her as Kyoshi Three shot down another Wildcat. The remaining Americans scattered in all directions.

"One more kill to my tally," Kyoshi Three cheered.

Suki grinned as she rolled her Zero into a left 180-degree turn and sped towards the scattered Wildcats. The other girls broke off, each Warrior selecting her own target, and gave chase.

Soon, the skies above the _Tokyo Express_ became engulfed in a massive furball as eight Wildcats and a dozen Zeros mixed it up. Flak bursts from _Chōkai_ and the six destroyers filled the sky, only adding to the chaos unfolding above them. Splashes erupted around the ships as burning planes fell from above.

As Suki and the rest of the _Kōkūtai_ brawled it out with the Americans, their radio frequency was filled with chatter,

"Another one shot down!"

"Ha ha! He lit up like a firework!"

"Five, break! He's got a bead on you!"

"I'm hit! Bailing out!"

"Damn it, Kyoshi Five is down!"

"One more Yankee destroyed! _Banzai_!"

"Kyoshi Three, break left! You've got a Yankee on your tail!"

"Breaking! Another one's latched on to me! I need some help here!"

"Kyoshi Lead to Three, I'm on him!"

Switching to her 20mm cannon, Suki closed the distance to the Wildcat's tail before pushing the trigger. A few high-explosive bursts clipped the American's wings and the panicked pilot bailed out. Suki jerked the stick and rolled to the left to avoid the wreckage.

"I owe you a glass of sake," Kyoshi Three conveyed her thanks.

"I'll hold you to that, Three," Suki replied casually.

"Kyoshi Lead, another bandit on your six! Break!"

Bullets whizzed by Suki's cockpit. She immediately glanced behind her, noticing that a Wildcat had latched onto her tail. But the American pilot was firing erratically, unable to get a clean shot. After deciding to have some fun with her next victim, Suki pulled back on the stick, going into a vertical climb. As she had expected, the foolish Yankee had chosen to follow her, machine guns still blazing.

 _Come and get me, you arrogant fool_ , Suki thought to herself as she climbed further and further from her opponent's reach. After reaching a desired altitude, she pulled back on the stick again, preparing to roll over into a dive. As Suki watched, the pursuing Wildcat began to lose speed and plummeted earthward. A devilish grin graced the Kyoshi Warrior's painted face as she prepared to pounce on an easy kill.

Suki rolled her Zero over into a dive in pursuit of the falling Wildcat. Once she closed the range, she pressed the trigger.

The Grumman F4F Wildcat was known for its ruggedness. Often, it could take numerous bullets and keep on flying. This time, however, it made no difference. The high-explosive 20mm and armor-piercing 7.7mm rounds tore through the American plane until it exploded.

Pulling out of her dive, barely avoiding the fireball, Suki saw another Wildcat screaming towards her. She kicked the rudder and pulled back on the stick, rolling her Zero into a tight right. She was now neck and neck with the American.

This time, Suki had the opportunity to examine her opponent up close. The Wildcat had a pinup on its nose of a tan-skinned girl holding a boomerang. _Odd decoration_ , she thought to herself. Her gaze shifted to the pilot, who looked back at her intently. After a couple of seconds, the Yankee's eyes widened almost comically as he looked incredulously at his _female_ opponent.

 _Took him long enough to figure THAT out._ Suki smirked and blew a mocking kiss to the Yankee. She decided to threaten her opponent. After pointing behind her, indicating the kills painted on her Zero's fuselage, she made a cutting motion across her throat and pointed at the Yankee pilot. She saw his eyes bulge again as he registered the death threat she had just sent him. _Enough is enough_ , Suki decided, _time for this Yankee to die._

Suki popped the flaps to slow her Zero down, allowing her to line up the Wildcat in her sights. But before she could pull the trigger, the American rolled to the right and banked away. Just then, another Wildcat dove towards Suki. 50 caliber machine gun bullets raked her Zero, ripping holes in her right wing and fuselage. Somehow, her fuel tanks were undamaged. Else, her Zero would have burst into flame.

_Not bad, Yankee. Baiting your opponent._

Gritting her teeth as her aircraft shuddered from the damage, Suki watched as the two Yankees pulled alongside one another and began executing a weave maneuver, turning away from one another before banking back towards each other. Suki knew better than to take the bait. She had lost many of her fellow pilots to this maneuver. Still, she followed. Her Zero had taken a beating, but she was not out of the fight yet.

For several agonizing minutes, Suki pursued the weaving Wildcats, looking for an opening. Finally, she saw one. The boomerang pilot had turned too widely, putting him at too great a distance from his wingman. Calculating the angle she needed to lead her target, Suki jerked the stick to the right to level out. Her Zero was slow to respond due to the damage it had suffered, but she managed to line herself up perfectly. As she cut through the weave, Suki emptied the last of her 20mm rounds along with some 7.7mm rounds into the Wildcat. The boomerang pilot's plane caught fire, trailing fuel and debris. The other Wildcat banked away and fled as another Zero, piloted by Takara, drove it off.

As Suki watched, the burning Wildcat descended towards a large island nearby before crash-landing into the sandy shores. It skidded a couple of feet across the sand before coming to rest. Suki circled above the burning plane like a vulture, hoping for whatever reason that her opponent would survive.

To her relief, the Yankee pilot managed to escape his plane. He ripped off his flight cap before looking up at Suki, allowing her to see his face. He had a rather handsome, tan-skinned face like the pinup he had painted on his Wildcat. As he gazed at her with intense blue eyes, Suki couldn't help but admire her new adversary. He had pulled a clever trick in their battle. She rocked her wings in salute before banking away to link up with the _Tokyo Express_ and her fellow Warriors.

 _Until we meet again, Yankee_.


	2. Meeting the Admiralty

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here is Chapter 2. I'm sorry for the lack of action.

 

**September 15th, 1942**  
**Skies near Eastern New Britain, Papua New Guinea  
** **1320 Hours**

The volcanic peaks that dotted Rabaul came into focus as Suki and the rest of the flight neared the area.

"Kyoshi Two to Lead, are you alright."

"I'm fine, Takara," Suki replied. In all honesty, she was unharmed. Her Zero, however, had not fared so well. Apart from all the holes in its right wing and fuselage, The cables controlling the right aileron, rudder and elevators were damaged, rendering the controls sluggish. She'd even gone as far as to open the canopy in case she lost control and needed to bail out.

"There's an emergency landing strip at Malaguna, I'll land there. You head back to base with the rest of the flight."

"Understood," Takara replied as she broke away and turned north towards the airbase. The remaining pilots followed suit, leaving Suki alone as she continued on towards Malaguna.

Malaguna was a cluster of villages about three miles south of Rabaul. When the Japanese first occupied the area, they had built an airfield adjacent to Simpson Harbor, complete with an anti-aircraft battery outpost and a seaplane base.

They had also dug storage tunnels near the airfield to house various parts for Navy aircraft, designating it as an emergency airfield.

Suki descended to 60 meters and approached the airfield from the east, crossing over Simpson Harbor where to her mild shock, a plethora of warships were currently anchored.

Near the mouth of the harbor, an IJN destroyer squadron detachment lay at rest near the shore. It seemed to consist of a _Sendai_ -class light cruiser and its accompaniment of eight _Kagerō_ -class destroyers, each one training its six dual-purpose 12.7 cm guns skyward. There were also four of the newer _Akizuki_ -class anti-aircraft destroyers anchored nearby.

The closer she got to Rabaul, the bigger the ships got. Amid the aircraft carriers _Shōkaku_ and _Zuikaku_ , a pair of _Takao_ -class heavy cruisers, the battleships _Nagato and_   _Mutsu_ , and the battlecruiser _Amagi_ , an even larger behemoth was situated in the harbor.

This leviathan dwarfed even the carriers. A tower bridge sporting a wide-armed rangefinder rose above a superstructure bristling with anti–aircraft and dual–purpose guns, searchlights, and gun directors, along with a large funnel, a tripod mast, and a small aft rangefinder behind it. Also notable were the ship's three large main gun turrets, two forward, one aft, that each had three long barrels protruding from it.

The men on the deck seemed almost like ants scurrying around a giant colony of welded steel and rivets.

This was Suki's first glimpse of the super-battleship _Yamato_ , pride and flagship of the Imperial Japanese Navy. With a ship that big, it deserved both its name and its title without a doubt. Only a ship that powerful would bear the oldest, most ancient name bestowed upon Japan.

Turning towards the emergency strip, she lowered the flaps and landing gear, and leaned forward on the stick. Her Zero shook wildly as it descended, owing to the severe damage dealt to its airframe.

She jerked the column to the right to level the fighter out. Although the controls were slow to respond, she was able to right the plane just in time before it touched down and rolled down the runway until, with enough pressure on the brakes, Suki was able to bring it to a stop.

As she switched off the engine and exited the cockpit, a truck carrying a group of repairmen sped towards her. She walked along the left wing of her fighter and jumped down as the repairmen disembarked from their truck and approached the plane.

"Are you with the _Kyoshi Kōkūtai_?" One of them, a brown-haired man with goggles, inquired as he examined the war fans painted on the Zero's tail.

"Yes, I am," Suki replied matter-of-factly, "And you are?"

The man grinned, "I'm the Chief Repairman here. Petty Officer Satoru Iwamatsu at your service," he introduced himself enthusiastically. Despite his high-ranking position, Satoru had a somewhat youthful appearance. To Suki, he seemed a little over eighteen years old.

"So, what can my men and I do for you?"

"Well, my fighter has a bit of battle damage that needs attending to."

Suki walked around her plane with Satoru and his men following her,

"There," she pointed first to the right wing, riddled with 50-caliber bullet holes, "and there," and then to the equally perforated fuselage.

"Wow," Satoru remarked after letting out a low whistle, "Run into a lot of Yankees today?"

"Yes. Apart from that, the ailerons, rudder and elevators were a little sluggish, so I think you might want to replace the cables there."

"No worries. Should take a little under a day. The bullet damage, however, might take a little longer to fix."

"Hey, as long as you get my fighter back in the air, I'll be happy."

"Good. Alright men," Satoru turned to his fellow repairmen, "Let's get to work."

One officer hitched the Zero to the truck by its tailwheel and, with the help of some of the other repairmen, moved the fighter to a revetment to begin repairs.

"We'll have someone ferry it to your airfield once the repairs are done," Satoru informed his newest customer.

"Thank you," Suki bowed slightly as a sign of appreciation.

"Anything else you need?" he asked.

"Well, I do need to get back to base."

"We've got a couple of captured Jeeps. You can use one of those."

Satoru led the Lieutenant to a small motor pool full of captured Allied vehicles, among which was a slightly battered Willys Jeep.

She got in and started it,

"Thanks for your help, Satoru."

"Anytime."

With a final wave to Satoru, Suki shifted the gear into drive, drove off the airfield, and turned left onto the Malaguna Road towards Rabaul.

It wasn't long before she reached Rabaul. To her chagrin, she would have to drive through the western part of the township to reach Lakunai.

Rabaul was divided into two sectors, with the Japanese Army controlling the West sector and the IJN controlling the East sector.

The Army-controlled area was notorious for housing several brothels, where "comfort women" offered their services to soldiers.

Suki carefully navigated the jeep through the streets, ignoring the various catcalls and jeers from several Japanese soldiers, some of whom were intoxicated.

Life in the Japanese military had always been rough for her and her fellow pilots. Though thankfully, the abuse they suffered was mostly verbal.

Of course, there was always one cocky soldier who would try to have his way with one of them only to find himself being thrown over the girl's shoulder and landing flat on his back with the girl either long gone or pointing her _katana_ at his jugular. Needless to say, the pilots of the _Kyoshi Kōkūtai_ , like all sailors and pilots in the IJN, practiced martial arts such as judo and kendo. Though such arts were often ineffective in the air, they proved handy self-defense mechanisms on the ground, especially against sexist over-confident soldiers.

Suki herself had fended off two such soldiers one night in April, when the _Kōkūtai_ had first been deployed to Rabaul for the New Guinea campaign. But that had been solely in self defense. It wouldn't do to attack the drunkards currently heckling her, given that it would paint her as the aggressor. And the IJA would surely weigh the circumstances against her if she was court-martialed.

So, she kept her eyes firmly on the road until she entered the IJN-controlled area, marked by the New Guinea club, which served as the Navy's headquarters in the region.

A few minutes later, she turned into Lakunai Airfield.

The rest of her flight had already landed. Ground personnel were milling about, repairing, rearming, and refueling their Zeros for the next mission.

It was about now that Suki realized how fatigued she was. The exertion it took to keep her damaged Zero in the air had taken its toll on her. Oh, how she looked forward to a nap. She dragged herself towards the barracks, eager to collapse on her bunk.

The first warrior to greet her was Takara. The oldest of the girls, at age 24, she hailed from a small town in Kagoshima Prefecture on Kyūshū Island. The Hayashida family had Navy blood in it, with Takara's grandfather commanding a gunboat during the First Sino-Japanese War of 1894, and her father serving as a naval gunner aboard Admiral Togo's flagship _Mikasa_ during the historic Battle of Tsushima against the Russians in 1905.

Currently, she seemed to be scrutinizing Suki like a nurse checking over her patient. This was normal, since she often made a point to talk to each and every one of her fellow pilots after each sortie to see if they were alright. Because of this, she was adored by the rest of the _Kōkūtai_ , who often called her "Mother Takara."

"Feeling alright, Suki?" she asked.

"Yes, _Haha-ue,_ " Suki deadpanned with a roll of her dark blue eyes, "I'm fine." Though Takara's caring nature was appreciated, at times it could get rather annoying. Especially when the recipient was utterly exhausted.

"Good," Takara's face segued into a smile, "Because this just came in," she held out a letter for Suki, who opened it and read:

 

> _Addressed to Lieutenant Suki Nakamura, Commander of Kyoshi Kōkūtai,_
> 
> _Allow me to congratulate you and your _Kōkūtai_  on another successful mission. Your distinguished service brings great honor to the people of Japan._
> 
> _For said service, I wish to invite you to dine with my fellow staff officers and I tonight at 7:30 PM aboard the battleship Yamato._
> 
> _I look forward to meeting you in person._
> 
> _-Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto  
>  _ _C-in-C Combined Fleet_

This wasn't the first time she'd received correspondence from the Combined Fleet's leader. She'd received a similar note of congratulations after the Port Moresby campaign. Of course, this was entirely different. She'd never actually met the man. Oh boy, she was going to need to make herself look presentable for this.

But, first things first, a nice long nap.

* * *

**Lakunai Airfield**

**Officer's Barracks**  
**Bathroom  
** **1845 hours**

"Suki," Takara's motherly voice penetrated the bathroom from outside, "The dinner's in forty-five minutes! You'd better get going!"

"Okay!" Suki shouted back exasperatedly, "Let me just finish getting ready!"

She took one last look at her reflection in the mirror. She had traded her green flight suit for a blue officer's uniform only worn on formal occasions and she had removed her face paint, exposing its alabaster skin. An officer's cap sat atop her head, with her chin length auburn hair flowing down.

Like a typical naval officer, she had her _katana_ at her side. However, unlike the typical _showa-to_ swords, which were mass-produced using non-traditional methods, Suki's was a pure _Nihonto_ , forged from folded steel during the Bakumatsu period of the 1860s and carried by her maternal great-grandfather, Hinata Nakamura, into battle against the _Shogun_ 's forces during the Boshin War.

Her mother had presented it to her a year earlier before she departed for battle. Since then, Suki had always kept it with her, on the ground and in the air. Apart from serving as a reminder of home, the _katana_ also served as her anchor of sorts to her traditionalistic roots and her family's legacy. She cared for it with the same devotion that a Samurai would bestow upon his sword, keeping it clean and polished when she wasn't using it in her daily kendo exercises.

Suki turned away, opened the bathroom door, and prepared to go out for a long night of dining with Japanese officers way above her rank and pay grade.

What was there to worry about?

* * *

**Simpson Harbour**

**1920 hours**

With slight trepidation, despite her cool exterior, Suki walked up the ramp leading onto the deck of _Yamato_.

Stepping foot onto the giant battleship, she failed to hold back a gasp. If the ship was large from the air, it was truly a sight to behold on the ground. Everything about  _Yamato_ , from its giant triple gun turrets to its tall tower bridge, spoke of supremacy and raw power. How could the shipyards in Kure produce something so menacing yet so elegant?

As Suki walked aft past the forward two main turrets, she saw three officers talking near an open stairway that led below decks. One she recognized as Admiral Yamamoto, having seen photographs of him. The other two were completely different from one another: one being older, short, and squat with a grey beard and the other seeming a little older than herself, rather tall and somewhat lanky with short black hair framing his face.

He noticed Suki and muttered something to Yamamoto, who turned to face her,

"Ah. Lieutenant Nakamura, I presume?"

Suki bowed as a sign of respect,

"It's an honor to meet you at last, Admiral."

Yamamoto chuckled and returned the bow,

"Please. The honor is all mine."

He took her hand and shook it vigorously before gesturing to the other two officers,

"Allow me to introduce two of our distinguished guests: Captain Iroh Takahashi, skipper of the battleship _Nagato_ , and an old friend of mine," the old man nodded towards her with a benevolent smile on his face, "and his nephew, Commander Zuko Takahashi, skipper of the destroyer _Tokitsukaze_ ," the taller officer smiled awkwardly and bowed stiffly.

"Well, shall we head to dinner?" Yamamoto continued,

"Lead the way, old friend," Iroh responded with a smile.

The two men descended below decks.

"After you," Zuko muttered. To Suki, he looked quite nervous. Either he was socially inept or he'd never met a girl in his line of work. Probably both.

She grinned before thanking him and walking down the stairs.

* * *

**IJN** **Yamato**  
**Officers' Dining Room  
** **2000 hours**

Dinner had been a nice affair. Suki had found herself sitting between Zuko and a rather friendly man who had introduced himself as Commander Tameichi Hara, skipper of the destroyer _Amatsukaze_ , and assigned to the 16th Destroyer Division, which also included Zuko's _Tokitsukaze_ and the destroyers _Yukikaze_ and _Hatsukaze_ , all of which belonged to the _Kagerō_ -class.

Through the conversations with the two, she had learned some interesting things about Zuko himself. From what he'd told her, at age twenty-six, he was apparently the youngest destroyer skipper in the entire Navy and the _Tokitsukaze_ was his first command.

While they were discussing his past, Suki's eyes had drifted a scar that ran across his left cheek and looked like it had been administered by a blade of some sort. Zuko had noticed her staring and seemed to tense up. Perhaps it brought him shame to talk about it. So she had averted her gaze from his injury and let him continue telling his life's story.

After graduating from Etajima in 1935, he'd originally served as a torpedo gunner aboard the destroyer _Sazanami_ , a member of the revolutionary _Fubuki_ -class, and had taken part in several tests of the Navy's new Type 93 oxygen-driven torpedo.

It was here that he'd met Hara, whom Zuko had apparently grown to idolize (Suki remembered how his cheeks had flushed a little embarrassingly when recounting their meeting) after having read the former's doctrine on torpedo warfare. After several long debates over the strategies that Hara had put forth in his manual, the two had struck up a rapport that over time evolved into a friendly teacher-student relationship, with Hara helping to mentor the younger Zuko in both torpedo warfare and commanding a destroyer of his own. In fact, after Hara had assumed command of _Amatsukaze_ in April of 1940, Zuko had served as his XO for eight months before he was given command of _Tokitsukaze_ that December.

Their conversations had then segued into combat histories, with both Zuko and Hara regaling Suki with stories of several battles they'd taken part in. It seemed DesDiv 16 had seen plenty of action, having accompanied the invading forces of both the Philippines in late December of 1941 and the Dutch East Indies in early 1942 (they'd paused to hear her tales of serving with the Tainan Kokutai, given that she'd helped them provide top cover during the East Indies invasion). The division had even participated in the Battle of the Java Sea and had later helped save the light aircraft carrier _Ryūjō_  from certain destruction in the Eastern Solomons. Suki felt mildly surprised that they could talk about such experiences with such gusto, especially given their long service record. She would have expected them to sound weary.

The food had been absolutely delicious, which was probably to be expected of the Combined Fleet's Commander-in-Chief. Suki had marveled at the delicacies that the Japanese Navy afforded its surface fleet officers. It was a far cry from the kind of bland food that she and her fellow pilots usually ate in the mess hall at Lakunai. Even the sake had tasted better, though Yamamoto had only allowed one small glass for each officer.

Now, Yamamoto, who sat at the end of the table, cleared his throat, causing everyone else present to fall silent.

"Now then, I wish to discuss the plans for our newest operation."

Suki looked towards Zuko with a raised eyebrow. Yamamoto's letter hadn't mentioned anything about a battle meeting. One of the officers sitting to Yamamoto's right glanced between her and his superior before clearing his throat awkwardly,

"Sir? Shouldn't we wait for-," another glance at Suki, " _her_ to leave first?"

Yamamoto shook his head.

"Nonsense, Watanabe. As commander of one of our navy's best fighter squadrons, the Lieutenant should attend."

Watanabe scoffed, eyeing Suki with apparent contempt.

Suki felt a brief spell of anger and indignation bubble up within as she glared back at Watanabe. Even in the Navy's upper ranks, the sexist culture still persisted. Granted she was often used to being ignored, but never had she been openly derided in front of someone as high-ranking as Yamamoto.

Calming herself, she averted her gaze from Watanabe and instead directed her attention to the C-in-C.

"What is this operation you mentioned, sir?"

"Our next invasion of Guadalcanal." Yamamoto replied, "Also, Lieutenant Nakamura, I wish to apologize for not explicitly telling you of this in my letter."

Suki felt utterly perplexed. Had the Commander-in-Chief of the Combined Fleet just apologized to her?

"A-apology accepted, sir."

"Before we discuss the invasion plan itself, Iroh," Yamamoto directed his gaze to the older man, who sat a couple of seats down the table, "You have something you wished to report, correct?"

Iroh nodded and produced a pink-colored folder from somewhere under the table. He passed it to the officer, who passed it up the table. Meanwhile, he began addressing the C-in-C,

"The reconnaissance flight from Sumatra has returned with reports on the enemy's defenses at Guadalcanal."

"I see. What do they say?" Yamamoto replied as he opened the folder and perused the document inside.

"They couldn't get close to Henderson Field for fear of being intercepted. They were, however, able to confirm a rather large presence of American warships in the area."

Iroh placed what looked like several photographs and slid them down the table to Yamamoto.

"Based on their reports, we estimate at least one aircraft carrier, two battleships, probably a _North Carolina_ and a _South Dakota_ , seven cruisers, and twelve destroyers."

"I see," Yamamoto examined the photos closely. "Your thoughts?"

The old captain stroked his beard contemplatively as he conveyed his thoughts,

"Considering that we've sunk three of their carriers, _Lexington_ , _Yorktown_ , and _Hornet_ , and that we've supposedly put the _Enterprise_ out of action, it's most likely that the carrier located in the region is either the _Wasp_ or the _Saratoga_. Either way, I would advise caution when engaging the carrier and its aircraft."

"And the battleships?" Yamamoto pressed further.

"From the intelligence reports our spies have gathered, the _North Carolina_ and _South Dakota_ classes are some of the best battleships that the Americans currently have."

Suki heard one of the officers sitting across from her snort and she spared him a brief glance. From what Yamamoto had told her, this man was the _Yamato_ 's commanding officer: Rear Admiral Gehichi Takayanagi.

"Something you'd like to add, Rear Admiral Takayanagi?" Yamamoto questioned, a stony glare on his face.

"Yes, there is," Takayanagi retorted arrogantly, "What need is there to worry about how powerful the Americans' battleships are? My ship mounts the most powerful guns ever fitted to a vessel! Why I could destroy those Yankee dogs from twenty kilometers away!" He slammed his hand on the table as he turned to face Iroh, who remained calm as ever while Takayanagi badgered him with another question, "What advantage could those pitiful ships possibly have over the might of _Yamato_?"

After taking a deep, calming breath, Iroh uttered an answer that silenced the overconfident officer,

"Radar."

Takayanagi looked absolutely befuddled. Iroh seemed to take this as his cue to continue,

"While both the _North Carolinas_ and the _South Dakotas_ have guns less powerful than those we have mounted on _Yamato_ , the Americans have equipped both battleships with radar systems, a luxury that almost all of our ships lack. So even if your ship has superior guns, not only will the American warships see you before you get into firing range, but they'll also score more hits than you. Furthermore, all six ships mount nine 16-inch guns, one more barrel than our _Nagatos_."

Takayanagi opened his mouth as if to raise an objection, but Iroh shot him down,

"And even if _Amagi_ has more guns, she doesn't have the armor to take sustained fire. The Americans have a tactical advantage over our most powerful battleship and an armament superior to our second best battleships. _That_ is why the _North Carolinas_ and the _South Dakotas_ are the best battleships the Americans possess."

Even so, Takayanagi scoffed once more.

"I still fail to see the importance of understanding these ships."

"Sun Tzu tells us 'he who knows his enemies and knows himself shall not be imperiled in a thousand battles.' As the commander of our Navy's most powerful warship, you would do well to remember that, Takayanagi. Otherwise, you could make a blunder that could jeopardize the life of every sailor and officer on board!"

It seemed it was highly unusual for Iroh to get angry. From what Suki saw, all of the officers, with the exception of Zuko and Yamamoto, seemed shocked at the older man's outburst. Even Takayanagi staggered back, his arrogance receding like the tides.

"Now then, Iroh," Yamamoto said, "Would you care to explain more about the American radar?"

"Gladly," Iroh curtly replied as he turned away from a subdued Takayanagi.

"From photos provided by our intelligence department, the American battleships mount their radar systems on the rear of their conning towers. While it does provide them an advantage in night fighting, if we can take their radar out, it will level the battlefield."

"Do you have a plan for ensuring this?"

"Yes, I do. It is my understanding," Iroh turned towards Zuko and Hara, "that our destroyers are capable of firing illumination shells."

Both destroyer skippers nodded in affirmation.

"What do you have in mind, Uncle?" Zuko inquired.

"The task I have in mind will require no small amount of courage on your part, nephew," Iroh replied with a smirk, earning him a roll of the eyes from the two men.

"You will need to get close enough to within firing range of the battleships and fire illuminating shells at them to light them up. That way, our gunners will have a clean shot."

"Well, Hara?" Yamamoto questioned, "Do you and Commander Takahashi think you can accomplish this?"

The two of them shared a glance before Hara nodded and replied,

"Yes, sir. We also have one, shall we say, 'ace up our sleeve.'" Before we sailed here from Truk, we were joined by the four ships of Destroyer Division 17. One of their ships, the _Hamakaze_ , is equipped with radar capable of detecting large ships at 35 kilometers away. We can use her as a radar picket to search for the battleships and guide the rest of our destroyers to the target."

"An excellent idea. But this will be a dangerous. The guns on these battleships can deal severe damage to your destroyers once you are in range. You're free to launch torpedo attacks as soon as you have the enemy in sight. However, should you feel that your ships are in danger, you may withdraw from the action. While sinking these battleships is important, both your ships and the lives of both yourselves and your crews are just as important."

"Understood, sir," Zuko acknowledged with a determined countenance.

"Additionally," Yamamoto murmured, "We must address a numerical disparity. While we have the advantage in battleships and carriers, it seems the Americans have us outgunned when it comes to cruisers and destroyers. They have seven cruisers to our three, and twelve destroyers to our eight."

He turned to the officer sitting to the left of him, "Admiral Kondo, can we perhaps gather additional reinforcements?"

Vice Admiral Nobutake Kondo, commanding officer of the IJN's 2nd Fleet, nodded, produced a map and laid it out on the table.

"Three _Myokos_ of Cruiser Division 5 are currently anchored in Truk, along with, among other ships, the battleships _Musashi_ , _Hiei_ , and _Kirishima_ , two _Mogamis_ from Cruiser Division 7 and seven _Fubukis_ in two divisions of Destroyer Squadron 3, along with an _Agano_ serving as the destroyer leader. I can requisition the cruisers and the destroyers. That will give us seven heavy cruisers, two light cruisers, and fifteen destroyers. It should take them a little under a day to arrive. I can also put the battleships on standby in case their assistance is required."

"Excellent. Have the order sent to Truk immediately. And one more thing. See if you can requisition _Hiei_ and _Kirishima_ as well. They're the only battleships that can keep pace with our carriers, and I want them to protect _Shōkaku_ and _Zuikaku_."

"Yes, sir." Kondo stood from his chair, bowed towards Yamamoto, and exited the cabin.

"Now, we must discuss the situation in the air."

Suki noticed Yamamoto turning his gaze towards her. Suddenly, she felt herself stiffen involuntarily.

_Calm down, Suki. Just don't do anything stupid._

"Lieutenant Nakamura. You and your squadron have engaged the so-called 'Cactus Air Force' in the past. What can you tell us about them?"

She took a deep breath to compose herself.

"While the Cactus Air Force does fly inferior aircraft, its pilots are highly skilled. I would go as far to say that they are some of the best opponents we have ever faced."

"How?"

A memory of her duel with the two Wildcats earlier today came to mind.

"They utilize unorthodox tactics that negate the advantages our aircraft hold over theirs."

"Such as?"

"Many of their tactics involve baiting, where one aircraft lures a Zero onto his tail while another American lines up a shot on the Zero. One such tactic is a weave maneuver, which I encountered today."

"Tell us more about this 'weave maneuver'." Yamamoto ordered.

Suki nodded and used her hands to simulate the maneuver.

"The two Yankees start out side by side. When a Zero latches on to either one of them, they turn in towards one another. After they cross paths and fly on for a certain distance, they turn back towards one another and repeat the maneuver. If the Zero follows one of the Yankees through the maneuver, the other will have a shot at it when they cross paths."

"So the difficulty that our pilots face is getting a clean shot at the Americans without putting themselves in danger of being shot down in return," Iroh observed.

"Yes, sir. That is the main problem, and it's cost me many of my squadronmates ever since we first encountered these Yankees." Suki replied, feeling a little downcast.

"Lieutenant," Yamamoto said, "You and your squadron will be accompanying the fighter forces from _Shōkaku_ and _Zuikaku_. During the time we prepare for this invasion, you are to train with them. Instruct them on the tactics that you've just demonstrated us. And see if you can find a way to counter it."

"Understood, sir. I'll start working on a solution tomorrow."

"We'll also be sending in additional fighter and bomber squadrons. If my memory serves me correctly, the _Tainan Kōkūtai_ are due to return to Rabaul tomorrow."

Suki felt positively elated at the prospects of seeing her old comrades. She grinned as she addressed Yamamoto once more.

"It will be an honor to fight alongside them again, sir."

"I'm sure it will," Yamamoto reassured her.

The cabin door opened as Admiral Kondo walked back in and sat back down next to Yamamoto.

"The order has been sent, sir," he addressed his superior, "And your request for both _Hiei_ and _Kirishima_ has been approved."

"Excellent," Yamamoto replied, "I will now explain the first phase of our operation. This calls for the flotilla to steam ahead to Guadalcanal and destroy the American warships anchored in the area. We can go into specifics later, but the aircraft carrier and battleships are our priority targets.

"Once that is done, we harass the American defenders as much as we can until the transports arrive. We can use our battleships and our battlecruiser to bombard their inland defenses. Our air forces will need to support the soldiers currently deployed to the island, maintain air superiority over it, and protect the flotilla from any additional attackers."

"Any questions?" Yamamoto asked. None of the other officers said anything. Perhaps they were all tired.

"Preparations and training will commence tomorrow at 0900 hours. If all goes according to plan, we set sail for Guadalcanal on the 18th. You are dismissed."

Suki stood up with the rest of the officers, bowed, and followed Zuko and Hara out of the cabin.

* * *

**Lakunai Airfield**  
**Officer's Barracks**  
**Suki's bunk  
** **2120 hours**

"So how did the dinner go?" Takara whispered from across the room.

"It was good," Suki muttered as she climbed into her bunk, "I'll tell you the specifics tomorrow."

"Alright, G'night."

"Night."

Suki closed her eyes and nestled into her bunk, both eager for sleep and anxious for the days to come.

Her mind was already churning with all the possible outcomes of the battle. Either this would be an easy victory for the IJN, a pyrrhic victory with significant losses on both sides but with Guadalcanal taken back, or an outright disaster with the entire flotilla being destroyed at the hands of additional American reinforcements.

Either way, with Guadalcanal serving as both the only American stronghold in the Southeast Asian region and an excellent vantage point for further conquest, the fate of the Japanese Empire would be decided with this coming battle.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A slight historical twist: The battlecruiser Amagi, which in real life had been scrapped after being destroyed during the 1923 Kanto earthquake, makes an appearance as she does in the popular game World of Warships, sporting ten 16-inch guns an a pagoda mast almost identical to that on Nagato and Mutsu.
> 
> I wish to address the addition of new characters from the show:
> 
> -Yes, I made Zuko and Iroh Japanese. Why? Well, it's for three reasons.
> 
> -First, the Fire Navy's ships kind of remind me a little of the IJN's ships. Personally, I feel that the fact that some of the Fire Navy's ships (such as Azula's) have pagoda towers for their bridges is an homage to the superstructures of some of the WWII Japanese battleships, which were essentially a tower of platforms with watch points and searchlights, often referred to as "pagoda masts."
> 
> -Second, this decision was largely based off of reading Destiny-Smasher's fanfic What I Learned at SRU, where all the ATLA characters are at a university, and Zuko, Iroh, and Azula are all Japanese and have the last name Kurosawa.
> 
> -Finally, Mako Iwamatsu, the voice of Iroh, also happened to play the role of Isoroku Yamamoto in the otherwise abominable film Pearl Harbor.
> 
> -Satoru was pretty much a given, as his name is very Japanese. I also wanted to throw in a bit of his mechanical genius side by making him the head of Malaguna's repair crews.
> 
> And for the "real life" characters:
> 
> -Isoroku Yamamoto was very much a given. He's C-in-C of the Combined Fleet and one of the most easily recognizable figureheads in the IJN.
> 
> -So was Nobutake Kondo, given that he commanded the IJN force that took part in the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal.
> 
> -The fact that I made Gehiichi Takayanagi arrogant is in no way a reflection of his real-life service record, which unfortunately I have little information on. In all honesty, however, if one were commanding the most powerful battleship ever built, he would probably be at least somewhat over-confident.
> 
> -Since I was adding the Japanese destroyer force to the mix with Zuko, who better to add alongside him than one of the most famous destroyer captains of the war: Tameichi Hara. I'd also read his autobiography, Japanese Destroyer Captain, and I was reminded a bit of Master Piandao's backstory in ATLA. Both men were skilled in their craft, yet also highly critical of their respective nations. Just as Piandao is a master swordsman yet doesn't see eye-to-eye with the Fire Nation, Hara was a remarkable tactician in destroyer and torpedo warfare but he also criticized Japan's handling of the Pacific War. Given that Piandao taught Zuko how to use his dual dao swords, I figured I would make Hara his mentor for commanding his own destroyer in my story.
> 
> Also, I must apologize for sudden jump to the cabin, but I have no information regarding the interior layout of Yamato. Considering that her remains at the bottom of the East China Sea are slowly sinking into the sand, it's unlikely that such information will ever surface.
> 
> Oh, another thing, Haha-ue means "mother" in Japanese.
> 
> Finally, the Sun Tzu quote that Iroh uses comes from The Art of War.

**Author's Note:**

> Special thanks to fanfic author fanwright, whose story Flying Tiger, Crouching Dragon inspired me to write this.
> 
> Avatar: The Last Airbender is copyrighted to Bryke. Also, Takara is based somewhat off of the OC of the same name from TequilaTheHun's wonderful ATLA fanfic Fire and Earth.
> 
> Historical notes for the detail-savvy(To be updated):
> 
> -The Tainan Kōkūtai, which partly inspired the Kyoshi Kōkūtai, comprised almost all of Japan's leading fighter pilots throughout the war, including Hiroyoshi Nishizawa and Saburo Sakai. Nishizawa is regarded as Japan's ace of aces with 72 confirmed victories (probably even more, given the Japanese tended to exaggerate their kills
> 
> -The Kido Butai was the primary carrier battle group of the IJN. It originally consisted of Japan's six largest aircraft carriers, all of which took part in the Pearl Harbor Attack (for those who wish to know their names, they were Akagi, Kaga, Soryu, Hiryu, Shōkaku, and Zuikaku). In real life, all except Shōkaku and Zuikaku, both of which were damaged during the Battle of the Coral Sea, were destroyed at Midway. The remaining two were both lost in 1944, Shōkaku during the Marianas Turkey Shoot, and Zuikaku during the Battle of Leyte Gulf.
> 
> -The maneuver that Sokka and his wingman perform against Suki is known as the Thach Weave, developed by US Navy pilot John Thach specifically to give the clunky Wildcat a better chance against the far more maneuverable Zero.
> 
> -The neck-and-neck encounter between Sokka and Suki is based off of a real life encounter between American fighter pilot Lawrence Thompson and German ace Erich Hartmann, the highest-scoring fighter pilot in history.


End file.
